In the context of computer architectures, a processor register refers to memory available on a processor, where contents in the memory may be accessed more quickly than memory available elsewhere. Modern computer architectures typically function by transferring data from main memory into registers, operating on the data in the registers, and then moving the result back into main memory. A register file refers to an array of processor registers in a processor.
Conserving the power utilized by processors is one way of maximizing the efficiency and performance of the processor. To date, register files and scheduling logic are major sources of power loss (i.e. leakage) in a processor. Furthermore, large register files of current processors consume a significant amount of the overall power budget of a chip where the processor is located.
Additionally, as processors grow in capacity, register file capacity included with such processors also grow. With future scaling trends ensuring that register file capacities will continue to increase, register file power will be an ever larger fraction of the overall power of the whole processor. There is thus a need for addressing these and/or other issues associated with the prior art.